LUXURY SNEAKERS!

Mademoiselle Chanel’s influence is felt in all aspects of fashion – from apparel, accessories and cosmetics –  even sneakers. In 2006, Supreme’s Blazer for Nike featured leather quilting in the instantly recognizable Chanel diamond pattern that harkens back to the Chanel 2.55 handbag launched in 1955. 2008 was also a big year for ladies in the game. Giants like Nike and adidas had collab­orative projects with women’s clothing lines including Claw Money and Married to the Mob.

A new women’s sneaker brand called Booji also made its debut. It’s the first time any real energy had been invested in the category. I also have to confess that when adidas approached me to release a remix model under my own brand name Mama, the first thing I asked myself was, ‘What would Coco do?’ While working on what became known as the Pro Mama, I added a bit of Mama branding by transforming the quilting into a heart pattern. The white shell toe, while paying tribute to adidas’ history, is also reminiscent of Chanel’s cap-toe flats. Finally, the black and white combination references the famous color combo that is distinctively Chanel. You could say I was slightly ‘inspired’ by my idol...

Later in the year Booji released its first model, the Regal-One. The diamond quilt pattern is a giveaway but what really made the Regal-One special was the ankle fanny pack. This relates directly to ankle bags seen on the runway presentation of Chanel’s Spring 2008 Ready to Wear Collection. Most recently, Married to the Mob released a Dunk Hi that was also inspired by Chanel. From the patent leather cap-toe to the boucle wool used in Chanel suits, the Mob Dunk is literally an homage to Chanel.